“Death?”
This was the first time Alex had heard about death without it being in relation to him. Every time the topic was brought up, it was either because he had asked about it, or someone commented on it upon seeing his skin.
“Yes, Death. They are saying that she appeared around Fangmi’s ceremony out of nowhere and carved through everyone without care. Of the nearly 100 people that had gone to the ceremony, only 15 returned, mostly injured.”
Alex was stunned upon hearing that information. It wasn’t just him either. The guards around his prison were also hearing this news for the first time, so each one of them reacted in their own way, some trembling at the news, some quickly praying.
“Then… I imagine that you’re not going to be marrying anyone for now,” Alex said. “That’s good news.”
“It really is. It’s such good news,” Xichen said, her smile wider than ever.
Alex could only imagine how much anguish the young woman was in, constantly wondering about her own future. Surely she had thought of some dark things as well in the past few days.
“This should give you some buffer,” Alex said. “Take this time to become as strong as you can. I doubt Tailun will tempt Death so early, so if you get strong fast enough, you can become an Extolite before him and deny him the chance to marry you.”
Xichen blinked for a few moments. “Marriage?” she asked. “Oh, we’re way beyond that for now.”
Alex frowned. “What do you mean? Does Tailun no longer want to marry you?” he asked, before looking all around her body for some other signs. “Or have you already married?”
“No, you silly. I haven’t married anyone. Nor have I chosen anyone to marry just yet,” she said.
“So? Has Tailun said that he wants to give up on marrying you?” he asked.
“No, he hasn’t. But he doesn’t have to. He has no need to marry me anymore after all. In fact, he can’t even try to.”
Alex narrowed his eyes, waiting for an explanation. He was sure he was missing some context here.
“Did you hear what I said earlier? Fangmi is dead, and so is his father, along with many of the other Stoneclaws,” she said. “Do you know what that means?”
Alex thought for a moment. “In the Extolite Ceremony, do they only take the best of the best?” he asked, slowly realizing something.
Xichen nodded vigorously. “And they’re all dead.”
Alex’s eyes widened finally, understanding dawning. “The Stoneclaws are done for, aren’t they?” he asked. “Do they have anyone else that can be chief?”
“The new chief should be someone very young, but it won’t matter. They have taken a big hit, and will soon lose a lot of their influence.”
Alex nodded. “And let me guess, you will soon start cannibalizing them, won’t you? You’ll take over their customers, take over their supply routes. You’ll soon start pressing the Stoneclaws from every side until the tribe itself is no longer a powerhouse within Palm Haven.”
“Yes!” Xichen said. “Not just that. Because of how many people need to leave for the ceremony, Tailun can never do it in fear that we will use that opportunity to fully take over the Skullheads in a single day.”
“The Grayhounds know that they can no longer give the smallest opportunity for us, or they will come out worse in this battle.”
Alex slowly nodded. It appeared the political structure of the Palm Haven would soon come to an unrest, with a lot of changes following not soon after.
“This could easily turn bad at any moment,” Alex said. “You should be careful. This could be war.”
“Let it be,” Xichen said. “I’ll be ready. As long as I don’t have to marry either of those bastards, I am ready to fight in whatever war I will get into.”
Alex smiled at her. “If that’s the case, then it seems that your father no longer has any use for me. He knows I don’t have any elixir, so do you think you could ask him to let me go?”
“Hmm? Oh right!” Xichen quickly stood up. “I’ll tell him. Sorry, I was so excited about the news that I forgot to think about you.”
“That’s alright,” he said. “Just get me out of here.”
Xichen nodded and ran off.
Alex sat back on the bed, finally seeing a chance that he could get out of this place.
‘Death, huh?’ he thought, wondering how a single figure could annihilate all those fighters.
Alex hadn’t tried to kill anyone when he first met the Sunwarden warriors, but even if he had tried to, he knew for certain that he couldn’t kill them all. The array they used to suppress him would have stopped him far before he managed to kill more than a few of them.
‘I need to get my hands on this Elixir too,’ Alex thought. That meant he would have to go to the Inner Desert next.
How much stronger would the beasts be there?
Alex waited around for two more hours before the chief arrived. He hadn’t seen him in quite a while, and looking at him now, he seemed thinner than he had been before.
So much thinner.
He could only imagine the mental stress he had been in for the past few months, imagining how he was going to be the one to lose both his daughter and the tribe at once.
His failure to bear another child had put the entire tribe at risk.
Now, however, he looked relieved. The news of Death had never been more auspicious for him.
“You wanted to meet me, I hear,” the chief said. “Do you want to leave?”
“I don’t have the elixir, and any issue you have in regards to your daughter’s ceremony should be gone now,” Alex said. “Can you just let me go now?”
The chief crossed his arms, staring at Alex with a judging eye. He scoffed.
“I’ve told you before, you are never getting out of here.”